Enjou Chocolat

Wendy Taffet is the owner of Enjou Chocolat, a gourmet chocolate shop in Morristown, NJ that has been named Best Chocolate by readers of New Jersey Life Magazine, as well as having been featured on Food Nation with Bobby Flay and My Fair Wedding with David Tutera.

How did you come about the name Enjou Chocolat?
What’s most important to us is making a product that people enjoy, as well as providing a memorable experience. I wanted a name that was close to the word “enjoy,” but would stand out in people’s minds... so I tweaked it a bit to make Enjou (AHN-joo).

How long have you been in business?
We’ve been making chocolate at 8 Dehart Street in Morristown, NJ since 1983. Our virtual storefront, http://www.enjouchocolat.com, was established in 1997. It now features over 600 items.

What inspires your chocolate creations?
Our customers are my main source of inspiration. People buy chocolate for all sorts of occasions—it can be as simple as a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, or as obscure as a gift basket with a clay pigeon shooting theme (a request we received just this morning). With over 50,000 molds we can make virtually anything, but we’re always receiving new challenges that make us think outside the box (or outside the mold, as the case may be). Thanks to requests and suggestions from our customers, we’ve utilized our chocolate decorating techniques in all sorts of ways, made some interesting flavor pairings— and certainly increased our mold collection!

What would be one of the most difficult creations?
A lot of people come to Enjou for chocolate with a “Wow” factor. Sometimes there’s a lot riding on that, like when Frank came to us this spring looking for a way to propose to his chocolate-loving girlfriend Zlata. We worked with him both in the store and online over the course of two weeks to come up with a solid chocolate box, filled with her favorite assorted pieces and a beautiful diamond ring. The final result is featured in our Facebook photo album, you can see it at http://www.facebook.com/enjouchocolat. The story has a happy ending: we’ll be providing favors for their engagement party in the fall.

Do you have a favorite?
This was a really difficult question, but I was able to narrow it down to two answers. I love our solid chocolate high-heels, actual size, which we fill with an assortment of truffles. It’s the first thing that most people notice when they come in the store and one of our most popular items online. We’ve been doing a classic, undecorated shoe (featured in our Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/enjouchocolat) for several years, but we’ve recently started blending chocolate with high fashion, making open-toed pumps, sandals, and designs inspired by Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin—all in chocolate!

My other favorite item is the heart healthy line of chocolate bars. After the media started publicizing how dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, I collaborated with a friend of mine who is a physician specializing in integrated medicine to develop chocolate bars focusing on giving people a healthy boost of nutrients. The original line features three bars: organic cacao nib, orange-ginger, and berry berry (cranberry and blueberry). It’s since expanded to include wolfberry (also known as goji berry), sea salt-edamame, and cranberry-almond. Since so many of our customers are focused on living a healthy lifestyle, I’m glad that we are able to provide something that is both delicious and good for you.

Anything else you would like to share?
We at Enjou Chocolat pride ourselves on being a source for excellent handmade chocolate and beautifully arranged gift baskets. The only limit is our imagination, and the imaginations of our customers. The other pillar of Enjou is customer service. We go out of our way every day to make the simple act of shopping for a gift or a snack a pleasant and memorable experience; many of our customers become regulars, and many of our regulars become friends. On top of gifts and snacks, we also provide favors for events such as weddings and bar mitzvahs, and are able to make customized molds (have you ever wanted to see your business’ logo in chocolate?). We also sell the best ice cream in town during the spring and summer months.

You can follow them online on their website, Facebook (listed above), Twitter @enjouchocolat, and on their blog: http://enjouchocolat.blogspot.com